


Shiki: Second Moon

by koichi_another



Series: Second Moon [2]
Category: Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - T. S. Eliot, Shiki (Anime & Manga), Shiki - Ono Fuyumi
Genre: A lot of people are gonna die, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Japan, Japanese Culture, Multi, Munkustrap is a doctor, POV First Person, Present Tense, Sotoba, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:14:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29650500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koichi_another/pseuds/koichi_another
Summary: Sotoba is a quiet village nestled within a Japanese mountain range. It is home to a mere 1,300 people. Not much goes on there.So when a mysterious family moves in, the village gets excited. New people are a rarity in Sotoba.Then, the population starts decreasing rapidly. Summer colds. Anemia.  All completely natural causes of death, but bizarre with how suddenly they've started occurring.However, there's something strange about the move-ins. They hold a deadly secret. And they're willing to silence anybody who might reveal the sinister plan they have in mind for the small mountain community of Sotoba...
Relationships: Demeter/Munkustrap (Cats), Mr. Mistoffelees/Mungojerrie/Rum Tum Tugger (Cats)
Series: Second Moon [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2178834
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. (Scrapped Chapter)

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ:
> 
> Just so you know, Shiki: SM is continuing, but I'm gonna be restarting the project from a first-person perspective. I began it with the intention of faithfully retelling the events of the novel/anime, but I soon realised that it wasn't gonna be original. If I was to go down this path, I may as well just copy and paste the chapters from the translated novel, but alter all the names to those of Cats characters. I will leave up Chapter 1 and 2 so they'll still be available to read in their original third-person form (and I'll find the changes made, in comparison to the new version of the project, pretty interesting personally). Thanks for reading, and I hope you find the new and improved Shiki: Second Moon (Chapter 3 onwards) a blast to read.

1

It was two in the morning on August 9th when Demeter awoke to the sound of a blaring horn.  
Who in the hell?  
She roused herself from the comfort of her bed and padded to the sliding glass door. A bright light broke through the thin curtains, into the living room.  
The horn continued to blare.  
Demeter pulled back the curtains and tried to get a look at the person behind the wheel. Whoever it was appeared as a harsh silhouette.  
Moving van?  
The detail caught her eye. Could they be the people moving into the old mansion on the hill?  
Let’s see what they want.  
She slid the glass door open.  
“Okay!” Demeter yelled, shielding her eyes. “I said okay!”  
At once, both the light and the grumbling engine cut off. The van door opened and someone got out.  
Demeter took a second to register the figure. Her eyes were unfocused now she’d returned to darkness.  
“So sorry ‘bout that! Really, I am. But, ya see, we’ve been driving round for hours and I’m gettin’ the feeling I’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere.”  
The driver was a calico. He looked to be around twenty-three or four by Demeter’s estimate. His clothes were casual - a striped shirt and short jeans, comfortable for the warm weather. He didn’t look at all like what she had pictured for the Kanemasa move-ins.  
“Wrong turn?”  
“Yeah. We’re lookin’ for a place called Sotoba. Could you help me out, ‘ere?”  
“Sotoba?”  
“U-huh.”  
“You’re here.”  
The calico went wide-eyed. “What?”  
Demeter pointed at a metal structure above the road. “That’s the sign. It says ‘Sotoba’.”  
The calico spun and glanced at the sign. Then he looked back at her and clapped his hands together in apology. “I’m so sorry for wakin’ you! Really, I am so careless. If we had moved in without the hol’ up earlier… I’m sorry. I’m so embarrassed.”  
Demeter tilted her head. “You’re not Kanemasa, are you?”  
“Eh?”  
“Oh, that’s right. You probably don’t know. Are you the guys moving into the big mansion on the hill? The villagers usually call it Kanemasa.”  
“Ah, yeah, that’s us. We’re the Kirishikis.”  
Behind the moving van was a small platinum box car. The vague outline of someone behind the wheel caught Demeter’s eye. Was there also another person there, in the passenger seat? It was too dark to tell.  
“Hmm. Well, just take the road leading down into the village here, turn left - that’ll take you onto the main village highway - and turn onto the ramp leading up the hill.”  
Have these people not even visited the place they’re moving into? The thought crossed Demeter’s mind.  
The calico pulled open the van door. “Perfect, thank you so much. You were a real help. Again, apologies for wakin’ you.” He bowed his thanks and climbed into the driver’s seat.  
The box car reversed to make room for the large moving van, then followed it down the slope leading to Sotoba. Both vehicles disappeared beneath the fir trees and Demeter could only see their dim headlights through the leaves.  
Well, the old folk are gonna have a field day gossiping about that move-in, huh?  
A smile formed on the edge of her lips. She shook her head, stepped into the house, and closed the glass door behind her.

2

Chigusa is a restaurant that sits on the main highway of Sotoba. Behind it lies a dense forest of firs, and mountains beyond that. Following the closure of Sotoba’s only gas station, it became the sole roadside destination.  
Bombalurina, the restaurant’s owner, was polishing silverware behind the counter when Demeter walked inside. The time was 8:43. Chigusa opened at eight.  
Bombalurina’s head pricked up at the jingle of the bell above the door.  
“Ah, hey! Decided to join us, did you Dem?”  
“Yes I did. But I didn’t get much sleep last night. Was helping out the move-ins.”  
Demeter joined Bombalurina behind the counter and pulled an apron from off the hook.  
“Move-ins? You mean the Kanemasa people came to you?”  
“Yeah. At two AM.”  
Bombalurina said, “What were they like? Did you get a good look? The whole town’s been theorising about those guys.” New people were a rarity in the tight-knit community of Sotoba.  
“Only the young guy. He drove the moving van, but there was a car behind him. There might’ve been one or two people in there, I couldn’t make them out.”  
“You’re gonna be the talk of the town, Dem,” Bombalurina said. “Aren’t you excited?”  
“Oh, woohoo. The bus-stop old folk have another topic to gossip about. Gee, if Kanemasa didn’t move in in the dead of night, the club might have shrivelled up and died off, huh?”  
“You got that right, babs. Well don’t worry. Looks like it’ll be a quiet day today. If you need, you can go and rest in the back room.”  
“Nah, I’ll be fine. Could use something to keep me active. Thanks, Bomba.”  
The bell jingled again, and both women looked toward the door.  
“Sorry I’m late, I had to drop Mikky and Balthen off at school,” Etcetera said, taking off her denim coat. She set it on the rack beside the door and grabbed an apron from behind the counter.  
Etcetera was always cautious when it came to her children. She had made herself sick on more than one occasion due to worry. Both Demeter and Bombalurina had tried to convince her that Sotoba is possibly the safest place to raise a child.  
Etcetera wouldn’t buy into it, though. It was always the risk of a car speeding down the road, or a powerline snapping. Nothing that anybody could possibly say would put her at ease.  
Bombalurina watched her tend to setting out the tableware around the shop. “Oh hey, Etcetera, did you hear? The move-ins woke Dem up at two in the morning. Those folks moving into Kanemasa.”  
There was a noticeable change in the fluidity of Etcetera’s movements. She seemed to go slightly stiff at the mention of the move-ins. “Yeah. Those guys… did they look, uh… suspicious?”  
“Hmm?” Demeter said.  
“Well, like, not the trouble-causing type? Good people?”  
“I only saw the young guy who drove the moving van. But from what I could tell there wasn’t anything off about him. Why?”  
“It’s just a little strange. Why would they have to wake you up in the middle of the night?”  
“He didn’t know how to get into town.”  
“Had they not checked the village out before moving?”  
“I thought that. He said he’d taken a wrong turn, though. You can get into Sotoba from three different entrances. Maybe they arrived via the main road when they originally checked the place out?”  
“Hmm,” Etcetera said. “Maybe.”  
She was mostly quiet for the next fifteen minutes until the first customers arrived. But Bombalurina could already tell.  
Etcetera had herself something new to worry about.

3

Munkustrap sipped at the cup of lukewarm coffee in his hands.  
He had been getting more sleep than usual recently, but his usage of cigarettes had increased. Payment, he considered it.  
The clinic living room was dark. It was almost noon, but he hadn’t bothered to open the curtains.  
“Munkustrap!” snapped his mother. He looked up from his drink with half-lidded eyes. Elena had entered the room and he hadn’t even noticed.  
“Morning, mom.”  
She scoffed. “You wouldn’t think it. Look how dark it is! Didn’t you think to let in some light?”  
More on edge today, Munkustrap thought. Something must have happened that’s gotten her worked up.  
“Honestly, let’s look presentable for the move-ins.” Elena marched over to the large window and tore open the curtains. The living room was immediately filled with natural light.  
”The move-ins?” Squinting, Munkustrap placed his cup on the table. There’d been a lot of speculation about them as of late. Many of the villagers were curious about the mansion. The old one had been torn down, and another, more grand and European in design, was erected in its place. That was a few months ago now. Where were the people who were supposed to be moving in? Was this new mansion just for show - an out-of-place addition to the otherwise quaint village?  
Both of those questions had been answered, it seemed.  
“Kanem--”  
“Yes! Of course the Kanemasa. They arrived last night. What would they say if they knew that Sotoba’s only doctor lounged about in the dark with bags under his eyes, dressed in the most informal attire imaginable? Really, Munkustrap, you’re ruining the Ozaki name.”  
It was true, he didn’t wear the regular white medical coat that many other professional doctors - and even members of his own clinic - wore. Instead, he preferred to wear casual outfits. Today he had on a black t-shirt and jeans. This was how most of Sotoba knew Munkustrap Ozaki. Some of the older residents, the ones who knew his father - a professional man who would never stand by seeing his son dressed as he was - frowned upon the lack of tradition. But Munkustrap didn’t care, as the majority of the villagers knew him for what he was - a more than capable doctor who kept Sotoba up and running.  
Munkustrap’s gaze drifted toward the window, and to the gothic mansion perched atop the hill. It really did look out of place in Sotoba. At least the old Kanemasa mansion fit in with its surroundings. This one looked like Dracula’s castle, he thought.  
Elena must have been looking at the mansion too. “I don’t know who signed the file granting permission to build that horrible structure here in Sotoba, but they should be fired. It’s as though they wanted to make the most unappealing building imaginable.”  
”It’s interesting at least. You can’t say that it hasn’t generated quite the talk.”  
Elena blew through her nose. “Well, I can’t say it was worth damaging the village’s reputation, just for the sake of talk.”

4

Myrna sat in front of the corner shop, shaded by the bus stop cover looming overhead. At her age, the sun was nearly unbearable.  
Algus exited the shop and took a seat beside her. He was holding half a sandwich. With a frail hand, he extended the other half toward Myrna. She took it, not feeling very hungry.  
“They moved in,” Algus said.  
“Yes,” Myrna said, looking into the distance at Kanemasa.  
“Demeter was awoken in the middle of the night, they say. Some strange people, I heard.”  
”From what I heard, the lad had lost his way. It happens.”  
“But to be moving in at night? And not knowing the way to his own home?”  
“There was another person with him, from what I heard,” said Myrna.  
“Did Demeter see them?”  
“As far as I know, she didn’t.”  
“Well, they made an entrance. That’s for sure.”  
“It’s interesting, at least,” Myrna agreed. “New people in Sotoba, not a common thing.”  
“Not common at all.”  
Just then, a calico walking down the street caught Myrna’s eye.  
“That’s the woodworker’s boy, isn’t it?” Algus asked.  
“Yeah. His father’s name is Yuuki.”  
”I bought a chair off him a couple of months ago. They were move-ins too, weren’t they?”  
Myrna nodded, thinking. “About a year ago. That’s right.”  
Algus finished his sandwich. He stood, discarded it at the nearby trash can, and returned to the bus stop bench. “Sotoba isn’t the best place for kids. Hard for them to find friends in a small place like this.”  
Myrna nodded, and the Yuuki boy left both her mind and the conversation at hand.

5

Jemima fanned herself with her hand as she walked along the village road. Women worked in the fields to her left and right, tending to the crops. Several waved to her as she passed by.  
It was a beautiful day in Sotoba. Jemima thought that Sotoba was, aesthetically speaking, the most gorgeous village on earth, even when it rained. Yet nothing could compare to when the sun shone and the blue sky was free of clouds. That was when Jemima truly appreciated the gift of life.  
“Morning!” called a male ginger, stood beside a cow in the field.  
“Oh, hello!” Jemima called back. She waved and continued on her way.  
She was passing over the village highway, devoid of traffic, when something caused her to stop.  
Up ahead, a calico tomcat stood. He stared out at the fir-covered mountains which rose and fell far into the distance.  
Jemima found herself transfixed by the image. It was one she had seen before - the young tom could often be found in this exact position, staring out across the horizon - but today, for some reason, it just caught her.  
Ah, that’s the Yuuki boy. She had treated him for growing pains a few months ago, and ever since, she never failed to notice him when he stared toward the city. Most other times she’d simply carry on, leaving him to his personal meditation - if that’s what it even was. Today, however, she felt the urge to talk to him.  
Jemima made her way over.  
“You’re the Yuuki boy, Rumpletonzin, right?”  
The calico’s gaze broke from the hills and mountains for a second as he regarded her with a quick glance. “Oh, uh, yeah.”  
“It’s pretty hot out, huh? I’m heading to the vending machine for a drink. Wanna come with me? It’ll be my treat.”

Jemima found herself surprised when the calico agreed. For some reason, she had expected him to politely decline, but he hadn’t.  
He held the chill can to his neck, his eyes closed. Jemima took note and did the same. The coldness was relieving. She couldn’t remember the last time summer had been this hot.  
She removed the can and tore off the key, taking a long gulp of the fizzy liquid. Rumpletonzin still hadn’t finished cooling himself off.  
“Um, nurse?” he asked after a pause.  
“Hmm?” Jemima said. Now the can was by his waist.  
“You know how I had that weird lump under my knee?”  
”Ah, yeah. The cartilage hardened, so it would’ve been pretty painful. Is it better now?”  
“Mm. It’s not hurting anymore.”  
”That’s good to hear.”  
“But, uh, I heard that when you get those lumps, you’ve stopped growing. Is that true?”  
Jemima found herself smiling. “Some people say that, yes, but I can’t tell you whether it’s true or not. But you look all grown up to me, Yuuki.”  
“Um, do you mind not calling me that?”  
“Hmm? Yuuki? Do you not like that name?”  
He shook his head. “I prefer Rumpletonzin. Yuuki’s the last name of my foster dad.”  
Jemima took another gulp from the can and nodded. “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.”  
“Thanks.”

They began walking again, with no particular destination in mind. On a day like this, destinations were forgotten things, Jemima thought.  
“You know, why don’t you move to a big city? Out of this… place. As a nurse you’d be hired in an instant.”  
Jemima laughed. “Oh, Rumple, you really don’t like Sotoba, do you?” She recalled hearing the old folk that sat outside the cornershop mention something about the “big city boy who wasn’t adapting well to small village life.”  
“No. I’ve lost so much sleep studying for the entrance exams. I’m trying my best to get in.”  
“Just so you’ll get out of Sotoba?”  
“That’s right.”  
“But can’t you at least admit how beautiful the village is during nice weather like this?” Jemima asked, gesturing around her.  
Rumpletonzin lowered his gaze to his half-empty can. “They had nature parks like this back in Tokyo. Only there, you also had a giant modern city to explore. It was the best of both worlds.”  
”Well, there’s Mizobe not too far from here. Has an arcade, games shop, large library--”  
”Yeah, I know about that place. I go to school there. But still, it just feels like a slightly bigger version of this village. There aren’t any skyscrapers or giant lakes, or skylines.”  
Jemima gave an understanding smile. “I know. I can’t say it’s surprising, considering you moved here after living in Tokyo for so long. I can’t imagine the culture shock.”  
”Yeah, you have no idea…”  
They were walking down a hedge-lined road with an open field on the left, houses on the right.  
“I suppose I should get home now,” Rumpletonzin said. “Thanks for the drink. It was nice seeing you.”  
”You too, Rumple. See you around.”  
He nodded and walked ahead, disappearing behind the wooden wall lining the perimeter of the Yuuki household.  
Jemima glanced at her watch. It was almost five o’clock. Her brother would be hungry by now, and with their mother out, it was up to her to get dinner ready.  
She set off back home, just as storm clouds began gathering overhead.

6

Thursday, August 11th, 1994  
16:00

Cassandra held the pink designer umbrella above her head, proud, and walked with a model’s strut past the working village women.  
“Oh, hello Cass! Off to something important are we?” one of the women said. Cassandra, sensing the Cheshire grin on the woman’s face, ignored her.  
They just have no idea. They think it’s embarrassing to have a sense of style here in this backward village!  
She wondered how anybody residing in Sotoba could possibly live and accept their way of life. It was just so old-fashioned. Even the kids her own age showed signs of acting exactly like their parents. But not Cassandra. She made certain to never turn out like them. That would be the moment her chances at success in the big city perished before her eyes.  
Cassandra turned right, off the main road, and onto the road leading to--  
Kanemasa.  
After walking a short distance, it was right above her. The beautiful mansion that repulsed everybody else. Even the kids her own age.  
How could anybody hate a mansion like this? It was one of only two things that made living in the village somewhat bearable. The gothic structure was not something easily found in the city. Then again, neither was it commonly found in quiet villages like Sotoba. Kanemasa mansion was one-of-a-kind.  
The other thing which made living in Sotoba worth it?  
Yuuki.  
Cassandra had been crushing on the big city boy since he had arrived. She understood his desire to return to civilisation. She had the same hopes and dreams he had. And, not to mention, he was pretty cute.  
She pictured herself living in the big mansion with Rumpletonzin and almost lost herself with the excitement. It was just too romantic. If he agreed, she’d gladly spend the rest of her days inside Sotoba. Granted, he’d also have to give up any hope of returning to the city, but that wouldn’t be a problem. They’d have each other. That was enough.  
The problem was getting Rumpletonzin to notice her. He seemed pretty set on ignoring Cassandra at every available interaction.  
But it was surely just a misunderstanding. After all, aren’t they--  
“Cassandra!”  
She winced at the sound of Victoria calling her name, racing down the street. They were childhood friends, but Cassandra had long since grown out of the friendship.  
She didn’t turn to greet her.  
“Did you hear, the new people moved into Kanemasa!”  
“Oh. Now you’re in on the gossip.”  
Victoria let out a “Huh?”  
“You’re turning out just like them.”  
“Like who?”  
Cassandra finally turned around. “Like the old folk!”  
“Hmm? Oh, no, I heard it from my mom. Pretty weird, though. They apparently moved in at three AM.”  
“Weird? How is that weird?”  
Victoria seemed to get a sense of the hostility in Cassandra’s voice. She cowered slightly. “Well, it’s just… the mansion - it’s so, uh… out of place.”  
“It’s fresh,” Cassandra corrected. “It’s a change from the drab old buildings in Sotoba.”  
“And them, uh, how they moved in at night--”  
”Maybe they had things to do. Did you consider that? Maybe they got held up. Or do you just think it’s strange because somebody else told you to think that way?”  
“Why are you so angry?” Victoria asked, her voice wavering.  
Cassandra closed her eyes tight and composed herself. Then, without a word, she turned and started toward the ramp leading up to Kanemasa.  
“Hey!” Victoria yelled. “Where are you going?”  
No answer. Cassandra just continued walking. She hoped that the people living in Kanemasa were watching out their windows right now. They were from the city (she guessed). They’d know what real star potential was. Maybe they had connections in the industry? Perhaps they would be her ticket out of Sotoba. Wouldn’t that be such a fairytale ending?  
It’s weird.  
Even though Victoria was talking about Kanemasa, her comment stung Cassandra. There was nothing weird about it. Nothing weird about the people who had moved into the out of place mansion.  
“Who cares what time they moved in?” Cassandra muttered without meaning to.  
She noticed, all of a sudden, that she’d reached the iron gates of Kanemasa. She was right outside. They might be looking at me right now!  
Cassandra struck a pose and started walking, one foot in front of the other, as if on a catwalk.  
My one way ticket…  
… out of this backward village!  
A sharp pain in her left foot dropped her to the ground.  
”Ah!” she yelped.  
She’d twisted her ankle. And her leg had been scraped during the fall. Blood welled in the cut.  
Please don’t spot the dress, she thought and scrambled to a stand. She checked her clothes. Nothing, luckily. They were still clean.  
And don’t tell me the Kanemasa people saw that…  
The large iron gates suddenly moved, scraping over the asphalt like nails over a chalkboard.  
They did! Cassandra realised. They saw me make a fool of myself!  
“Are you alright, young girl?” asked the figure too far away to be made out. He stood in the mansion’s grand courtyard, on the grass, among the blossoming flowers.  
How could anybody hate a mansion like this?  
“Would you care to come inside? You’re bleeding. I could help clean you up.”  
Then he started forward, and Cassandra got a clear look at one of the new move-ins.


	2. (Scrapped Chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ:
> 
> Just so you know, Shiki: SM is continuing, but I'm gonna be restarting the project from a first-person perspective. I began it with the intention of faithfully retelling the events of the novel/anime, but I soon realised that it wasn't gonna be original. If I was to go down this path, I may as well just copy and paste the chapters from the translated novel, but alter all the names to those of Cats characters. I will leave up Chapter 1 and 2 so they'll still be available to read in their original third-person form (and I'll find the changes made, in comparison to the new version of the project, pretty interesting personally). Thanks for reading, and I hope you find the new and improved Shiki: Second Moon (Chapter 3 onwards) a blast to read.

1

It was past nine o’clock, almost time for bed, when Victoria’s mother received a worried phone call.  
“Victoria!” she called into the living room.  
“Yeah?”  
“Have you seen Cassandra today?”  
Cassandra?  
She went into the kitchen. Cinder Tanaka stood, her hand over the mouthpiece, looking anxious. “Um, I saw her earlier today. Is she not back yet?” She looked over at the clock. “It’s already nine…”  
“No. Her mother’s on the phone. Doesn’t know where she is.”  
Cassandra’s mother must have said something because Cinder’s eyes changed direction and she turned back to the phone.  
Victoria thought hard, back through the day, to when Cassandra had yelled at her…  
Wait!  
“Mom! She went up the hill to Kanemasa!”

2

Skimbleshanks picked up the receiver and pressed it to his ear.  
“Yup?”  
A panicked voice. It was familiar… someone he didn’t speak with too often, but familiar nonetheless…  
“Ah, Shimizu!” That was it. Benji Shimizu.  
“Skimble, you gotta help us out here. It’s Cass! She hasn’t come home.”  
“Your daughter?”  
“Yeah. My wife just talked to the Tanakas. The daughter said she saw Cass go up the hill to the Kanemasa place.”  
Something was off about all this. The Kanemasa people had only moved in a couple of days ago, and already they were in the middle of…  
No. The mansion is surrounded with sloping hillsides, forests of firs. Cassandra probably just got herself lost somewhere out there.  
Then again…  
The wild packs of wolves. Last month, four of Yamairi’s nine residents passed away due to wild wolf attacks. The deceased consisted of a pair of elderly couples. In a particularly disturbing twist, it was revealed during the autopsy that the Murasako wife had lived with her husband’s ruined corpse for several days before passing away. “Right,” Skimbleshanks said, pulling his jacket off the coat rack. “Call up anyone you know. Say we’re starting a search up on the Kanemasa mountainside. Bring flashlights, food, towels, and blankets in case she’s injured. You got that?”  
Benji said, “Mm,” and with that, Skimbleshanks ended the call.  
“Mokka!” he yelled up the stairway. “Get down here!”  
“Why?”  
Skimbleshanks slammed his foot hard into the ground.  
“We’re starting a search party! For Shimizu’s daughter!”  
The sudden bang was enough for Mokka to know that his father wasn’t in any fooling mood. He started down the staircase with a coat hung over his shoulder.  
When he passed beneath the doorway, Skimbleshanks thrust a flashlight into his stomach.  
”And take this. Knew I couldn’t rely on you to bring one from upstairs. Now come on. No more fooling around!”

3

Allesh Yuuki entered the kitchen as the counter-top phone started to ring. His son, Rumpletonzin, quietly ate a bowl of cereal at the dining table.  
“Hello?”  
“Al, we have a situation here.” The voice was Bailey Mutou’s. Ever since moving to Sotoba, Allesh had gotten on well with Bailey. They often drank together and attended - sometimes even partaking in - many of the village’s traditional festivals.  
“Okay… what’s up?”  
“You know Shimizu?”  
“U-huh? Know of him.”  
“His daughter’s gone missing.”  
“Missing?” Allesh repeated. His gaze drifted to his son, then back to the wall. “Where?”  
“One of her friends said she went up to the mansion. Ookawa’s started a search party. Would you mind coming along to help? Just bring a flashlight and join us on the mountains. We need every man we can get.”  
The tabby glanced around the kitchen, recalling where he kept a pair of flashlights. His eyes fell on the cupboard beneath the sink. “Sure. I’ll be there in ten, maximum.”  
“You’re a great help, Al. Thanks a lot.”  
Allesh placed the receiver back onto its cradle. “Listen, Rumple, I have to go and help up in the mountains. I shouldn’t be too long, but you’ll be all right, won’t you?”  
Rumpletonzin looked up from his bowl and nodded. “Yeah.”  
“That’s good.” He pulled open the cupboard beneath the sink and retrieved a high-powered flashlight that never got put to any use. He pressed the rubber button. A powerful beam shot out from the bulb. Good, he thought. It’s charged.

Halfway up the hillside ramp leading to Kanemasa, Allesh caught the sound of a sprint coming from behind him. He turned to see Bailey hurrying up, the beam from his flashlight bouncing with each footfall.  
“Hey,” Bailey said.  
They walked together at a matched pace. Allesh had never headed up to Kanemasa mansion. It was a well-talked-about place, that was for sure. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d heard it pop up in conversation - whether that was conversation involving him, or idle chatter from the other villagers.  
Then there was the major renovation which took place several months ago. The old Japanese-style mansion was levelled, and a castle, looking like something from a European theme park, materialized in its place.  
Even as an outsider, Allesh Yuuki was well aware of the disdain the new structure had caused amongst villagers. It seemed as though nobody was in favour of it.  
“Always get chills going by this place,” Bailey commented.  
“You go by the mansion a lot?”  
“Had to deliver a prescribed medicine from the clinic yesterday. Even though it was daytime, that didn’t help convince me the place isn’t haunted. Really. I mean, it must be even weirder for you to see something like this, Allesh, you coming from the city and all.”  
Allesh shrugged, tilted his head to one side. “Honestly, after the initial shock of moving to a place as quiet and traditional as this, getting used to houses looking like ones out of nature parks back in Tokyo, the mansion hardly bothered me.”  
“I liked the old Kanemasa mansion better.”  
”Yuuki! Mutou!”  
The pair looked up. Waiting at the top of the hill was Vic Yasumori, son of the construction company owner. Their business was prolific enough that even Allesh Yuuki knew of them back in Tokyo.  
“Thanks for coming. We have a group checking out the north area, and another checking out the east, behind the mansion. Could you guys come with me before we check out the west? Telby said that someone should inquire to the move-ins whether they’ve seen Cassandra. After all, we’ll be searching around their property. It would be rude to not let them know.”  
“Has nobody checked with them already?” Bailey asked.  
Vic shook his head. “Actually, Telby only suggested it a minute ago. If anyone from the house was willing to help look, it would be best to get them into our group before heading off.”  
Allesh and Bailey both agreed, and the three of them headed over to the large iron gates.  
The young policeman, Telby, was trying the intercom by the time they reached him. Allesh heard it burst to life with a crackle. “Hello?”  
“Uh, hi. My name’s Telby. I work with the Sotoba police branch. A young girl named Cassandra went missing a few hours ago near here. Would you mind asking if any of the other residents have seen her?”  
There was a pause. Then, “One sec.”  
Another pause. After a minute, the intercom crackled again. “Sorry. I asked, but none of us ‘ave seen her. But I saw some lights out the window. You lookin’ around?”  
The young policeman replied, “Uh, yes. I hope that’s not a bother.”  
A laugh from the other end of the intercom. “None at all. Say, need any more hands? I can help if you want.”  
Telby started nodding at the metal device. “Yes. Any help would be appreciated. Do you have a light? If not…” His voice trailed off when it became evident that the answering tom had left the intercom.  
To their right came the opening creak of the service door. A beam of light pointed toward the four toms. Telby shielded his eyes.  
“Hey! I’m Mungojerrie.” The Kanemasa resident who had appeared was a calico; he looked to be in his mid-twenties. The friendly, approachable type, Allesh thought. He wore a pair of khaki pants and a plain grey t-shirt.  
“Sorry to call you out here so late, but any helping hand could be of use. You moved in just yesterday, right?”  
”Ah, the day before,” Mungojerrie corrected, approaching the group. “Not too familiar with your village just yet, so I may need some help gettin’ around. Hope I won’t be in your way.”  
“No, don’t worry. My name is Telby. This is Yasumori.” Telby pointed a thumb over his shoulder.  
“Hi!” Vic Yasumori said with a wave. “These here are Yuuki and Mutou. Glad you could help.”  
Allesh found himself oddly focused on the calico. There was something familiar about him… then again, that might’ve simply been down to the fact he held a vague similarity in appearance to his son.  
“We’ll be checking out the western forest area. We already have groups to the east and north. Just make sure you stick with us so that you don’t get lost.”  
Mungojerrie smiled. “No prob.”

4

“Shimizu!”  
”Hey! Cassandra! If you can hear us, call out!”  
It was past midnight, and no trace of the girl had been caught. Benji sounded close to tears.  
Where? Skimbleshanks thought. Where could she possibly be?  
He called again, the fruitless yell of the young girl’s name. Even if she were to alert them to her location, with the cacophony of voices, it was unlikely to be heard.  
The ginger pointed his beam to a pair of approaching toms. A calico and a silver and brown tabby. The city folk, he thought bitterly. How strange it is those new people just move in, and all of a sudden the young Shimizu girl disappears.  
Skimbleshanks found himself wanting to avoid the young Kanemasa move-in. But it was too late. Both he and the Yuuki woodworker were too close by for him to slip away now.  
Skimbleshanks cleared his throat. “Any luck?” he said, gruffly.  
“Nah. We checked the east side, but nothin’ there.”  
“I heard something about wild wolves or dogs,” Yuuki said.  
Skimbleshanks regarded him with narrow eyes. He hoped Benji hadn’t heard that. “Nothing to do with them, don’t you worry,” he said, hoping to diffuse any talk of canines. It was all right. They were from the city. Easy to convince. After all, they weren’t born and bred village folk. “She’s probably just messing around. Just hope her mother goes easy on her when we find her.” He managed a laugh. Not that he found anything about the situation remotely funny.  
He looked up into the black expanse of night, dotted with dim stars.  
The search pressed on.

5

It was almost one AM when Mokka yelled, “I found her! I found her, she’s down there!”  
At once, the entire search party ran up behind him. Everybody pointed the beams of their flashlights down a sharp slope. At the bottom, twelve feet away from the group, Cassandra lay surrounded by fallen leaves. Even from this distance, it was obvious how pale she was.  
“Is she dead?” somebody asked.  
There wasn’t a reply. Instead, several people made their way down the slope, trying not to slip in the damp mud.  
“Is she injured?” another called from the top of the embankment.  
“No!” Vic Yasumori shouted back. He was knelt beside her body. “But we could use a towel and blankets down here!”  
Three toms descended. One of them, a skinny Bengal, fell flat into the mud on his way down. He got up a moment later, apparently unharmed.

The search party spent the next fifteen minutes getting Cassandra warm, fed, and wrapped up.  
Benji Shimizu bundled her into his car and set off back home as soon as she was inside.  
“What do you think happened?” Mokka overheard somebody ask as the group returned to the village.  
His father grunted. “I don’t know. But I can tell you one thing. It’s awful strange those folk just move in, hardly say a word to any of the villagers, and then Shimizu’s daughter is found in a daze outside their house.”  
“You don’t mean…”  
“Like I said, I don’t know.”  
”You think it could’ve been… him?”  
”Who?” Skimbleshanks Ookawa asked, in a way that suggested he wanted to end the conversation.  
“Nevermind…”  
Mokka detached himself from the topic. He didn’t know what to think. It was strange, yeah, but there was nothing to suggest it was the Kanemasas aside from the fact Cassandra was found close to their property. And, besides, she wasn’t injured. Ignoring the bug bites (mosquitoes were everywhere in Sotoba around summer) she hadn’t come into any physical harm.  
No. There wasn’t anything suspicious. It was strange, yes, but not suspicious.  
Though, if there was something Sotoba thrived on, it was suspicion. Mokka had heard enough about the junior monk to know that much.  
It was the gossip of a small, eventless settlement.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here's the first (rewritten) chapter, which I'm super satisfied with. I decided that the story just wouldn't work with only one narrator, and so to try out writing in different character's voices, there are gonna be five narrators. I'm really happy with how it's turning out now, and this first chapter was an absolute blast to work on.
> 
> I accidentally deleted the note from before, but just to let you know, Shiki: Second Moon continues the story of I Give My Life To You. Just ignore the fact that it takes place in 1994 in Japan, while IGMLTY took place during modern times in England. Aside from those inconsistencies, this is a direct sequel.

Chapter 1

Coricopat Muroi

1

\- Across the desolate land, he walks alone and tired.  
Like this, he has travelled for twelve days and shall continue to travel for many more.  
Only when he reaches the gravesite, the patch of land reeking of death, and desecrated by several dozen crosses, does he stop for rest. He leans against one of the wood markers, closing his eyes to sleep.  
A minute passes. Sleep is near and ready to drag him beneath its murky surface when the ground begins to shake. In the gravesite’s centre, a mound rises. Dirt crumbles, the fertile earth splits apart, and a hand emerges from its surface.  
He is awake now, and frozen in place, watching as a creature crawls out from its grave. A creature, resembling the brother he himself killed. Its dark, soulless eyes stare at him intently, and then the creature smiles.  
There is only one word to describe this being--  
\-- and that word is Shiki. -

August 6th - Saturday

My pencil rolls off the edge of the table, landing on the tatami mat with a light thud. As the electronic fan blows its breeze my way, I forget about the ruined wasteland now contained to the writing paper in front of me.  
Above, the ceiling light buzzes. Outside, in the darkness beyond the open sliding door, cicadas chirp. Both noises combine together to make one. My mind is too hazy to tell them apart.  
I don’t mean to, but I instinctively glance at my watch. It’s two o’clock in the morning. The village is silent at this time of night.  
I force my legs into moving, head over, and close the sliding door. Now only the buzzing of the ageing bulb provides sound.  
Before locking them away in a drawer until tomorrow, I scan the eight sheets of writing paper scattered across the table.  
What starts off as a quick glance-over turns into a detailed analysis of today’s work. Erasing, rewriting, removing. It’s almost four when I turn off the light and head to bed. The two hours of reading are well spent, however. I’m pleased with the story’s progress.  
My publisher always looks surprised when I turn in my handwritten manuscripts (“You still write on square-lined paper, Cori? Even with the latest word processors out?”) but I’m most productive when handwriting. Sure, I gave the laptop a try, but it wasn’t the same. The focus I get from writing on paper, with a knife-sharpened pencil, was gone. I just wasn’t drawn into my mental world, and therefore I was less productive as a result.  
I gifted the laptop to my father. He makes better use of it than I did.  
Though it makes me wonder - just how alike is this village and me?  
I was in college when my vow to leave was made. And yet now, at thirty-two, I’m still here in Sotoba. Like the village, like its elderly residents, I’m stuck in my old ways.  
Sotoba. Named after the wooden markers placed atop graves. That was the intention of the village from when it first appeared within a triangular opening between mountain ranges some three-hundred years ago. Even now, it’s what we’re known for - making grave markers.  
Because this village still buries its dead. After a marker has been planted within the earth for thirty-three years, it is replaced by a fir. The dense forests surrounding the village, stretched as far as the eye can see, are essentially gravesites.  
So in a way, this village is surrounded by death.

2

At eight o’clock my mobile phone starts ringing and I force myself onto my arms to answer it.  
“Hello?” I say.  
Munkustrap answers, his voice grave. Mallark has just passed away, from complications of a summer cold. Mallark Gotouda. Age thirty-nine. I wasn’t familiar with Mallark; we greeted each other with a nod or a polite “hello” when passing in the street. Other than that, however, I can’t say we knew each other. Still, his death is surprising. I’m not well-versed in the complexities of the medical realm, but I’ve always thought that death due to summer cold was largely an issue plaguing the elders. I’ve very rarely heard of it taking somebody so young.  
Munkustrap asks me to pay a visit to Mallark’s grandparents in Yamairi, a small district of Sotoba, home to a handful of residents.  
“Sure thing,” I say, and end the call.  
At once I get out of bed and dress into formal attire - light-coloured shirt and short pants, covered by a dark grey temple robe. I decide that there isn’t enough time to eat. Instead, I fill a flask with water and head straight for my car.  
Sotoba may be a small village, but that hardly means it’s a breeze to navigate. The slim dirt roadways are paved in such a way that makes it impossible to get anywhere fast. Thankfully, with Yamairi being set behind the temple, it’s at least quicker to reach than many other areas.  
I drive for five minutes through an endless stretch of forest, before coming out to an opening and spotting Yamairi at the base of a grassy slope. It’s such a small, rural district (population: three; home count: two) that it’s possible to live in Sotoba for years without knowing it exists.  
Waves of heat rise off the asphalt road leading down into the district. I follow it, park beside the centre house, and get out of the air-conditioned car.  
May Murasako’s front yard has a low brick wall running the perimeter. There’s a small pond beside the gravel pathway leading to the door and not much else, despite the space.  
At the door, I knock once and wait.  
Nothing.  
A second knock. No sound from inside the house. Chirping cicadas fill the quiet.  
Perhaps they left to be with their daughter? Surely somebody’s gotten in touch with them by now…  
“Could you run over to inform the Murasakos? I can’t get a hold of them.”  
Munkustrap’s words linger in my mind, and a sudden feeling of dread runs through me.  
I knock a third time, and the latch clicks. The door opens, slowly, and light pours into the darkened hall.  
“Mrs. Murasako?” I call out, hardly expecting an answer. In a bizarre way, I know what I’ll find inside. So when I peer in and make out the shadow of a torso on the ground, I’m oddly not surprised. Shocked, yes, but not surprised. I am almost level-headed when I go over to Kall Ookawa’s house to request the use of his phone.  
Unfortunately, I never get the chance to make that request. I catch sight of him slumped on the floor, through his window. Inside, it’s just as dark as the Murasako household.  
Once I’ve backed away to my car, I allow panic to set in.

3

“And so you arrived here, intending to tell Mr. and Mrs. Murasako that their grandson had just died? And that’s when you discovered the bodies?” asks the young policetom, scribbling inside his notepad.  
“Yes. I stepped into the Murasako house when I realised it was unlocked, saw the body, then went over to Mr. Ookawa’s place to ask if I could use his phone to call the police. That’s when I found his body.”  
”Appreciate you driving up to let us know, Coricopat. Looks like these poor guys have been dead for a while.” The young policetom pockets the notepad and pencil, bows his thanks.  
“Uh, just a moment. Do you know how they died?”  
“Well, Mr. Ookawa and Mrs. Murasako look to have died from natural causes. Mr. Murasako, on the other hand, looks to have died from a wild dog attack.”  
”Wild dogs?” I ask. I recall hearing talk of them prowling the forests at night. Haven’t heard anything about them causing a death up until now, though.  
“Uhm, yes. We believe so. We’re pretty sure, actually. There’ve been sightings around Sotoba recently, so it makes sense - especially considering the state of the corpse.”  
I didn’t see the worst of the body myself, thankfully. No doubt Munkustrap will fill me in on all the grizzly details soon enough.  
“Thanks for your time, Junior Monk,” the policetom says, bows again, and turns for the patrol car.  
Behind me, I catch the sound of shifting gravel and find Munkustrap approaching. He has his hands stuffed deep into his pockets, a fresh cigarette hanging from his mouth. To say he’s Sotoba’s head doctor at the clinic, he doesn’t exactly have the healthiest habits.  
“Sorry you had to find ‘em like this,” he says, as a puff of smoke rises from the nub and disappears.  
“It’s nothing you could have predicted.”  
“No. And that’s why I’m sorry.” He pauses. “Did you… see them?”  
“I found the outline of a torso inside the Murasako place, and, uh, Mr. Ookawa through the window.”  
Munkustrap nods at this, satisfied. “Good.”  
”I hear it’s not pretty.”  
”Not at all.”  
”Wild dogs, the policetom said.”  
”That’s all it could be. But that’s not the creepy part.”  
I tilt my head to one side, dreading what he’s about to tell me.  
“Judging from the state of decomposition, Missus Murasako must have been living with her husband’s corpse for several days before she passed away. She’s pretty fresh. Meanwhile he’s all over the place. Literally.” Another drag from his cigarette. Then it’s on the gravel, ground beneath his feet. “It just doesn’t make sense,” he says, shaking his head.  
Honestly, I could have done without the information.

\-- -- --

Rumpletonzin Yuuki

4

August 6th - Saturday

I’m so transfixed by the highway leading out of this village, the promise of Tokyo directly ahead of where I’m standing, that I don’t even notice her when she comes up behind me.  
“Hey!”  
I glance over my shoulder, breaking the trance, and look at her. She’s young, cute, familiar…  
“Oh, you’re the nurse from the clinic.” I say. That’s it. Jemima something-or-other. A few months back I had a weird bump under my knee, and she was the one who checked it out.  
The nurse laughs and gives me a friendly smile. “That’s it. And you’re the Yuuki boy, Rumpletonzin, right?”  
“Mm-hmm.”  
Now she glances over her shoulder and points a thumb toward the convenience shop some fifty feet away. “It’s boiling out, don’t you think? I was gonna grab a soda from the vending machine. Wanna get one too? It’ll be my treat.”  
“Sure,” I say. Honestly I’d rather be alone, watching the highway. But God only knows how long it’ll be until I leave this place. Better to keep a good impression for the time being.  
We set off together and walk in silence up until we reach the convenience shop. There, one of the old folks who always sit and gossip by the bus stop says, “Hi, Jemima. Out for a walk are we?”  
“Hi, Mrs. Kurosawa. Yes, I am. Rumpletonzin is accompanying me today.”  
I wince as she calls me by my first name. I hate it. It’s a romanticist’s name, and I can’t stand romanticism. Then I wince again at having to stand by these whispering old people who do nothing but gossip about everything and everyone. I’m mentally begging Jemima to just get us the sodas and go.  
“Ah,” the woman, who’s apparently named Kurosawa, says. In the moment of silence that follows, I barely make out the old man next to her saying to yet another old woman, “Aren’t they going out?” and I dread to think that I’m a victim of these people’s secretive whispers.  
“Well,” Jemima says, raising a hand to wave goodbye, “gotta run!” We’re off a second later, leaving the bus-stop bunch behind.  
After walking for less than a minute, we finally come across the soda machine. It’s shaded by a small wooden hut which I take shelter beneath. It’s not much, but it helps the heat some.  
There’s a clunk, followed by another clunk seconds later, and Jemima stands from her crouch, clutching two red cans. She gives me one. Droplets of icy water all but freeze my hand as they run off the aluminium.  
“Cheers,” she says, tearing off the key. She takes a long swig and I do the same. While she keeps the can to her lips, gulping every two seconds, I lower mine to my waist. “I can’t stand it,” I blurt out.  
Jemima looks at me, baffled. She’s stopped gulping.  
“The way everyone’s in everyone else’s business. Like the old people back there. How they gossip. There’s no sense of privacy in this village.”  
Jemima holds onto that look of bafflement for a moment. And then like that, it breaks, and she’s grinning once again. “I know how you feel, Rumpletonzin. That’s how it is, living in a tiny village like Sotoba.”  
“Uh, could you not do that?” I say, and feel awkward doing so. “Using my first name.” Nope. That didn’t sound great at all.  
“Oh, I’m sorry. Don’t you like it?”  
”No, it’s fine. No harm done. I just can’t stand it, that’s all.”  
”I think it’s a handsome name. Did your father pick it?”  
”I think so. It’s the name of some noble. Or maybe he was a fictional thief. One or the other. I never got the chance to ask.”  
Going into the details of my adoption isn’t exactly the sort of thing I want to get into right now, but the expectant look on her face tells me she’s waiting for an elaboration.  
“Yuuki isn’t my real last name. It’s the surname of my foster dad. Koide is what I used to be called. That was the last name of my biological father.”  
”Oh,” Jemima says. “So that’s why… Sorry. When you said you never got the chance, I didn’t quite catch on.”  
This time, it’s my turn to smile. “Don’t worry about it,” I say, and we head off with no set destination in mind.

\-- -- --

Cassandra Megumi

5

August 8th - Monday

I can do it. It would only take a teeny, tiny push to slot it in there…  
But no. The summer greeting card gets closer to the red mailbox’s mouth and I pull back. I just can’t do it! It’s just too embarrassing!  
(And yet I wonder why he’s not paying any attention to me.)  
I hate to do it - after writing and rewriting the darn thing at least eight times over - but I force the little postcard back into my school bag. Guess it’ll just have to wait.  
Then I hear her running toward me. She runs the exact same way each time, and by now I know who it is just by her footsteps.  
“Hey Cass! Off to school are you? Hold on. I’ll walk with you!”  
Victoria looks so childish in her white sailor costume that all the junior girls wear to middle school. Luckily, I’m in high school now, so I wear a simple white shirt, tie, and matching green skirt. Sure, it’s not stylish or anything - nothing I’d ever wear by choice - but at least it’s not… that.  
“Did you hear about Yamairi? All of it’s residents are dead…”  
She starts following me, and I do my best to ignore her, but she doesn’t go away. “No. I’m honestly not surprised. This stupid village is so full of old people they’re all just waiting to die anyway.”  
Victoria - pure, innocent, agitating, infuriating little Victoria, who I once considered my best friend a whole lifetime ago - gasps. She’s a good distance behind me, and I still hear it from where I stand.  
“Cass… how could you be so mean?”  
Mean?! She doesn’t understand the meaning of the word “mean”. Those old people are the ones forever making fun of me for dressing up. And she’s ready to talk about being “mean”?! “Oh, you don’t need to get dolled up around here, Megumi,” they’ll say, and I’m supposed to feel sorry for them dying to natural causes? Ha!  
“I’m not being mean!” I snap, spinning to face her. “I’m simply stating what they are - old! Old, and dead, or dying.”  
“Hey! Cassandra! Victoria! Look here!”  
Victoria’s little brother, Jijo, is jogging up the street now, holding a newspaper in one hand and a magnifying glass in the other. What’s he gonna do? Burn the sheet?  
No. He moves the magnifying glass over a teensy-tiny word, as if he expects me to see from here. “Guess what? The deaths in Yamairi made the paper! And look! Sotoba’s even mentioned by name.”  
Why?! Why would anyone get excited over something so insignificant? These villagers, this backward place - nobody has anything to do here! And yet people wonder why I want to move to the city? Good God!  
Victoria’s paying attention to Jijo, so I take my chance and set off running. I can’t stand either of them.  
“Hey! Cass! Where are you going?” she calls, but I pretend not to hear.  
No, I can’t stand anyone in this village.  
Except…  
There I see him, standing by the bus stop, looking out toward the city. Looking out toward my future.  
The big-city move-in tom - Yuuki.  
He always stands there, in that same spot, watching the same strip of trees as if he’s making a statement. It’s beautiful. He’s beautiful.  
My feet slow, and guide me toward him. When I come to a stop by his side, I consider giving him the card… no. Now’s not the time.  
Back into the bag it goes. (Sigh.)  
“Hi, Yuuki. Looking out at the city again, are we?”  
He doesn’t answer. Nothing different there.  
“Mm. How long have you been waiting?”  
All I see is his back. Still nothing. It’s hopeless, getting him to notice me, but it’s worth a shot.  
“You’re ignoring me again,” I mutter, though I keep my bright smile on my face (hard as that may be). “Well, that’s all right. After all, why’d you want to talk to somebody you hate?”  
We’re quiet for a minute or so - or I’m quiet; Yuuki never has anything to say - and I search for things to talk about. Anything at all that can keep this one attempt from coming to a standstill.  
Then I find it.  
“So, the city huh? You used to live there, right? I hope I can move to the city someday, get out of this boring old village…”  
I glance up at him, hoping I did enough to grab a response - and that’s when it happens. He ever so slightly tilts his head my way, and I catch a glimpse of him looking right at me! I’m so giddy I could squeal!  
Rumpletonzin has finally paid attention to me!  
I’ll cherish this moment for as long as I live.

6

August 11th - Thursday

There’s talk in the village today.  
Not that that’s odd. There’s always talk and gossip when you live in a small place full of old people.  
But the talk is special, all right. It’s special because everybody’s on the topic.  
People have moved into the big mansion on the hill. That’s the only other thing aside from Yuuki for which I’m grateful to live in this backward village. It’s so cool. There used to be an old, plain, Japanese-style house up on the hill. Then that got torn down and a huge European castle sprung up in its place. Nobody seems to like the new house. They all say it’s “out of place in Sotoba”. But I love it. Maybe it doesn’t exactly fit in with the other regular buildings and houses. But who cares? That just means the large mansion is like me. I don’t fit in with Sotoba’s other residents because of the way I dress and act, the fact that I have ambition in life and a drive to leave this place…  
Well, we don’t have that last part in common, but other than that, the beautiful castle reminds me of me.  
When I think of how romantic it would be if Yuuki and I could move into the European-style house together, I can’t help but giggle. Aww, it’s just so perfect! If I lived there, I’d never leave the village. Actually, I’d never leave home. Surely it’s just as gorgeous on the inside as it is on the outside…  
“Cass!”  
Oh no.  
She’s back.  
I’d thought that she’d probably take a hint like most normal people, get that I wasn’t interested in her company. Especially after I ran off yesterday.  
Not Victoria, though. The little following puppy that she is.  
“Hold on!”  
She catches up and says, “Did you hear? People moved in to Kanemasa last night. Three men and a lady, I heard.”  
”Yeah. The entire village has been talking about it.”  
”Oh, you know about it?”  
I turn to face her, try to keep myself composed. “Of course I know about it. People act like move-ins are national news around here.”  
“Yeah… it’s pretty weird.”  
At this, I wince. “What’s weird?” To people like her, like all the other villagers, anything’s weird. It sickens me how frowned upon “not-normal” is around here.  
“The way they moved in in the dead of night. They woke up the lady who owns Chigusa for directions even though she lives right in the village…”  
”What was weird about them moving in in the dead of night?”  
”Well, most normal people--”  
”Normal?!” I snap.  
”C-Cass? Why are you getting so mad?”  
Her voice is quivering and I realise I’m inches from her nose. I take a step back. “Maybe they got held up? Maybe they intended to move in during the day - during normal hours - and ran into car trouble. Did you think about that?”  
She just goes, “Well…” and I decide I’ve had it with her.  
Without a word, I start up the road leading to Kanemasa, to the mansion on the hill overlooking the green boring farm fields that make up most of Sotoba.  
“Where are you going?” Victoria asks, and I just know she’s watching me with that stupid blank expression. (Where does it look like I’m going?! This road only leads to one place!)  
Up I go, higher and higher, as the farm women slowly turn into tiny brown and grey dots against the harsh green. I don’t know why I’m doing this, or what I intend to prove by running off up the hill like a mad-girl. But I’d rather be anywhere except with her. My childhood best friend who I can hardly stand now, who hangs onto my tail like an immature gradeschooler.  
(I mean, really!)  
Then again, it’s really nothing personal against Victoria. I’m simply not a fan of her kind. The born and bred Sotoba folk who do nothing but embrace old-fashioned tradition and wear it like a medal they’re supposed to be proud of.  
It’s then that I realise I’ve scaled the hill, and am stood before the very mansion nobody around here likes.  
Kanemasa is even more extravagant up close! The old-style brickwork, the aged steel doors blocking any outsiders from entering.  
What I’d give to have a chance to explore that place…  
As I stare up toward the window of one of the jutting towers, I’m sure that there’s an outline of somebody watching me. It’s hard to tell, with how far away the window is, but…  
No. Someone’s definitely there.  
Well, I think, they’re surely city folk. They’ll know what talent is when they see it. After all, they likely came from Tokyo, as did Yuuki. If not Tokyo, then Osaka, or somewhere with nightlife and big movie studios and clubs! After all, they certainly have a sense of style. Their home gives that much away.  
My body suddenly strikes a pose, and I strut like a model on a catwalk. I’m just such a natural! I didn’t even have to give the order to my arms and legs!  
One foot in front of the other, measured jerky movements of the hands and arms, like erratic water paddling. One foot in front of the--  
“Ah!”  
My foot gives way and I crumple to the ground, ankle twisted, chances of success snuffed out and shattered.  
I’m terribly embarrassed. They saw that. They had to. God, what must they think of me now? How many were watching? Just the one?  
(Please tell me it was just the one…)  
I’m about to see whether that person in the window is still there when the tall iron gates open, silently passing over the road. If I had been looking the other way, I would have missed the grand sight. It was that quiet.  
A pair stand in the grassy courtyard, flowers in full bloom. It’s difficult to see them clearly - they seem to be silhouetted against the sun’s light. But two people are definitely standing around thirty feet away. That much is obvious.  
And then one of them speaks.  
“Young girl? Have you hurt yourself? Why don’t you come inside? We’ll patch you right up.”


End file.
